Collection of LSK Ficlets
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: Collection of Legend of Sun Knight Ficlets.
1. Privacy

So I had a slight dilemma. I signed up on the lj community 100rare to challenge myself to write 100 ficlets for either 1/2 Prince or The Legend of Sun Knight. Which, yey, writing, but I didn't exactly want to spam the section with loads of short one-shots either. So I'll be uploading the LSK ficlets here for the challenge; if I write any ficlets for 1/2 Prince, I'll be making another collections post. These ficlets aren't connected in any way. I'm going to be using the novel-verse translations of the knight's names and not the manhua.

**Summary**: Privacy was something the Knights never really had.

Mostly novel-verse.

* * *

**Privacy**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Privacy was something the Knights never really had. Even in the Holy Church they were always held to the standard of their predecessors, (in some cases, they were held to those expected personalities more stringently than when they were amongst the civilians, possibly because some of the higher ups _knew_ about the act) and even away from the eyes of the public, they still sometimes acted out their roles, just in case they slipped at the wrong moment, acting like friends when they were of the opposing faction, or acting like enemies when they were supposed to be allies.

Sun and Judgement never seemed to have that problem, knowing each other and their quirks and mannerisms intimately soon after they'd first met that they knew what the other was actually saying, no matter the words that had come from their mouth. It freaked out the people of the 'good, warm people' faction when they saw Sun and Judgement together, 'arguing' over what the God of Light wanted for His children, and more than a few times Leaf had jumped in and pulled Sun away with a quick, high-pitched apology to Judgement, in an attempt to 'save' him from Judgement's 'ire'. It was sort of funny seeing people's reactions to them talking with each other, when they knew there was nothing to worry about, but it wasn't so funny when they hadn't spoken with each other for a while! After being 'saved', Sun would have to avoid Judgement, because Leaf would normally be hovering close to him, just in case 'Judgement decided to come after Sun's head'. (Except Leaf never used those kind of words. It was just a lot easier to say and that really was what Leaf was worried about, so it would make more sense to translate it, right?)

So the only time they could have _true_ privacy was either just after Judgement had just finished with interrogating a criminal, or when either of them had holed himself up in his bedroom.

Even then, they weren't completely alone, because obviously the toilets could be needed at some point, no matter that it was deep in the 'cruel, cold-hearted people' territory, right next to where Judgement interrogated criminals – you just couldn't argue with your bladder when it wanted to be emptied. It was the same with going to each other's room; there was usually an emergency that needed their specific attention, or a Knight seeking them out to make sure a message was delivered promptly and in its entirety.

So that was why any private time any of the Knights were able to amass was always treasured and guarded jealously, though with a smile or cold look as the situation demanded. They just had very little chance to be who they actually were.

* * *

Yeah, this isn't relevant to all of the Knights, but this is from Sun's point of view so that makes it okay?


	2. Ask

**Summary**: Storm just wants to go to his room and begin getting through the paperwork.

Mostly novel-verse.

* * *

**Ask**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

With a gigantic stack of papers in his arms, Storm made his way carefully through the Holy Church, praying that he wouldn't pass by any ladies. Maybe if he did, he could pretend not to see them because of the miniature mountain in front of him.

Ahead of him, Storm could hear someone's footsteps coming closer to him. He ducked and turned his head away, hoping it would be enough.

"Brother Storm?"

Inwardly, Storm groaned, recognising that voice instantly.

"Sun," he greeted, lowering the stack of paper and nodding.

"Sun is grateful to see his brother basking in the warmth of the God of Light," the other Knight proclaimed, a wide smile on his face. Before Storm would begin to interpret those words, Sun ploughed on. "And while it pains Sun, Sun is not quite able to fulfil the God of Light's wishes and must therefore seek the knowledge of his brothers so that Sun may continue to spread the God of Light's kindness." After the speech, Sun blinked slowly at him, waiting.

"..." Storm always had problems trying to understand Sun, and it took him a few minutes to finally understand what it was Sun wanted, the paper getting heavier and heavier in his arms.

"You want my help?"

Sun nodded, the smile not moving.

"Can I reject?" The pile in his arms was a reminder of how much work he still had to do; he certainly didn't need any more. Sometimes Storm couldn't tell when he asked the question whether he was asking due to the fact that he was expected to ask, or if it really was due to how he didn't want any more work.

"Ah, but the God of Light needs this task to be seen to before He rests for the day, so that His children may sleep well tonight."

...No, then. "Very well," he sighed, adjusting his grip on the papers. Sun beamed at him, taking out a pendant from a pocket. Hopefully it wouldn't take up too much of his time.


	3. Smile

**Summary**: Ecilan gets used to his character.

Set just after Ecilan (Ice) has decided to continue training to be the Ice Knight. He and Grisia (Sun) are about twelve or thirteen here.

Novel-verse.

Ecilan is one of my favourite characters right now, because Lucathia Rykatu's summarised Yu Wo's side stories (which, apart from one, are set in their training days) and the characters are so _adorable_. If you want to read the cuteness, go check out her livejournal. :)

This fills the 'smile' prompt because Ecilan decided that since he couldn't smile as the Ice Knight, he could hopefully use baking sweets as a substitute.

* * *

**Smile**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Eyebrows lowering slightly, Ecilan brought them back up again as soon as he realised he was doing it. It wouldn't be good if he started showing facial expressions again so soon after deciding that he would continue training to be the Ice Knight. In front of him, the newly baked cake sent whisps of steam up towards the ceiling. He was fairly sure he'd made a mistake again; the colour wasn't quite right, and it looked a little soft. Hmm.

He cut out a small slice and tasted it. Yes, it was on the very sweet side, but he knew one person who would definitely like it...

* * *  
Peering around a corner, Ecilan could see that Grisia was in that corridor, his distinctive hair making him easily recognisable - but there were other people milling around also. Hm. He wanted to pass the cake on to Grisia, but he couldn't do that with other people watching. But maybe he could use what was expected of them to his advantage.

"Grisia!" he called out, stepping away from the corner. Grisia whirled around, his hair going out in all directions. Here, Ecilan floundered, not at all sure what to say. "May you see, um, the God of Light favours being stern than being forgiving!" He wasn't able to keep his voice up throughout, his throat already starting to strain after the first few words, and Ecilan had to keep his face from making an expression. He took a couple of steps forward so that they wouldn't be shouting at each other just so that they could hear the other person.

Grisia's eyes were wide when he finished. "But it is through seeing the kindness of the God of Light that we, His children, may live long, fulfilled lives with the knowledge of His... kindness." Grisia frowned slightly at the last word.

Ecilan was trying very hard not to gape or widen his eyes at the other boy. It had come so easily to him! He belatedly realised that he should respond with something else.

"That isn't the only side of the God of Light and, uh, you should... keep that in mind." Talking like how he was expected to was really hard. If he was finding it this difficult, maybe he shouldn't talk that much; that was what was expected of him anyway. Before he could lose his nerve, Ecilan shoved the plate into Grisia's hands, turned on his heel and attempted to stalk away. He didn't think he was very successful - he could feel his blood rushing to his cheeks, and he just hoped that Grisia would understand the gesture.

Next time though, he should try giving Grisia sweets in smaller batches; it wouldn't be so awkward to pass them along then.


	4. Drink

**Summary**: Sun had to drink again.

Swearing

Slight Sun/Judgement, depending on how to tilt your head.

* * *

**Drink**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Sun blinked owlishly at Judgement, before tilting a smile at him - and would have then tilted off the chair as well, if Judgement hadn't caught him by the arm first. Ignoring the hand at his elbow, Sun sighed woefully, putting his free hand to his forehead, and Judgement could see the pinkess around his cheeks had deepened to a dull red. He never could work out how Sun was able to control that.

Even before Sun's hand had fallen away, his glass had been refilled to the brim with wine, and Judgement eyed it. Sun made a noise of dismay, but at the others' cajoling, Sun unsteadily picked up the glass, the wine spilling over the edge as he did so, and drank.

A minute later, Sun's head thunked against Judgement's shoulder, his eyes closed. Again, it was with a hand on Sun's wrist this time that stopped him from toppling over backwards. A hush rippled out from them and Judgement didn't have to look up to know that they were now surrounded by nervous, wide-eyed stares.

With his other hand, Judgement gripped Sun's shoulder and shook him.

"Bwah?" Muzzily, Sun peered up at him, and Judgement was close enough to see how _not_ unfocused Sun's gaze was under heavy eyelids. "Has the God of Light seen fit to relieve Sun of the pain in his head?"

_Is it time to go?_

"You should remember the harshness of the God of Light and how unforgiving He is to those who forget themselves." Judgement narrowed his eyes. "It would do you well to reflect upon this."

_Yes._

"Ah, but surely you cannot ask Sun to think when his mind is clouded so!" Sun looked sorrowfully across the table at the others seated there. "But, Sun regrets that he cannot stay for the rest of the celebration."

_Awesome!_

Sun draped an arm around Judgement's shoulders, and Judgement pushed himself away from the table. He ignored seeing both Storm and Leaf half-out their chairs as well, conflicted expressions on their faces.

It wasn't hard to maneuver around, Sun stumbling around in a helpful way, not really leaning on him much either. The conversation began to pick up again as they passed, individuals not wanting to look idle.

Judgement kept on eye out as they walked through the Holy Church, taking no notice of the horrified glances sent their way, the echoes of their footsteps sounding loud in the otherwise silent corridors. Eventually there wasn't anyone else in the vicinity.

"The God of Light has widened His gaze in His search for criminals to punish," he murmured.

_The coast is clear._

Instantly what little weight Sun had laid upon his shoulders was gone as Sun relaxed with a snicker, though his arm stayed in place.

"I think I broke my record for how fast I lost consciousness." Sun kept his voice low, just in case there was someone around the corner and overheard his plain speech.

The arm around Judgement's neck tightened, bringing their heads even closer. "That's why you sat next to me, isn't it - so you could get out too when you had to 'escort' me outta there."

Judgement fought the smile trying to make itself known. "As the head of our faction, we would be seated next to each other; I did not have a hand in that."

_Of course_.

"Heh. Sneaky bastard." Sun untensed his arm. "C'mon, lead me to my room already; I hate whispering all the time."

Inclining his head, Judgement continued to lead the way back.


	5. Vampire

**Summary**: Dragon's Sacred Brigandine hasn't had a lord like this before.

Set somewhere in the near future of where the novel has been translated to so far (V1C9).

Yes, I have a _pov of a sentient shirt_. I don't think I've said enough just how much I _love_ this series! 8D

Pronouns though, are... interesting. :/

* * *

**Vampire**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Dragon's Sacred Brigandine's lord flopped into his bed, and it could feel its lord's blood seeping into it as the transformation reversed. Its lord's blood was different from its previous lords' blood, but Dragon's Sacred Brigandine was not sure exactly how; it just knew that it was.

_'Gah, this really is a vampiric shirt!'_

'My lord, your servant is Dragon's Sacred Brigandine; it is not Vampiric Shirt.' Its current lord could never remember its name, yet Dragon's Sacred Brigandine knew that it was not due to its lord not trying to remember, but it was more just how its lord thought.

Dragon's Sacred Brigandine had had a lot of lords in its time, all of them assassins, and this was the first lord that it had served that was not. That was probably why its current lord acted and thought so differently from what Dragon's Sacred Brigandine was used to.

"Really, you've taken so much of my blood now," its lord grumbled, pulling his covers over his head, "can't I get a discount?"

'_My lord, your servant cannot do that.'_ While Dragon's Sacred Brigandine was tasked to aid its lord in whatever venture they were partaking in, there were some rules that it could not break either.

Its lord sighed into his pillow. "Didn't think so." Its lord turned over so that he was facing the ceiling. "Do you think you could wake me up at daybreak? There's a lot of things I need to do."

_'Your... Your servant will try.'_ Dragon's Sacred Brigandine had never been used for purposes other than assassination - it had certainly never been used as an alarm clock before.

"Thanks." There was a pause. "I don't have to pay you in blood, do I?"

_'...No.'_ Dragon's Sacred Brigandine would not know how much blood to take.

"Even better." A few seconds later, its lord was sound asleep.

Dragon's Sacred Brigandine now had the rest of the night to work out how it could tell when it was daybreak.

* * *

Dragon's Sacred Brigandine can use 'alarm clock' if Sun can use 'radar'.

I'm going by that Dragon's Sacred Brigandine could get impressions of what Sun was thinking or seeing at that particular moment when they were talking, but, obviously, that no longer applies when Sun's sleeping. XD


	6. Annoy

**Summary**: Earth just wants to finish a conversation with a priestess.

* * *

**Annoy**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

"I, uh." Earth ducked his head, blushing. "I... thank you?"

The priestess made a happy sound as she picked up her cup of tea. Yes! She was interested! "You really are like how the stories portray you."

Ha. Earth hid his snort by taking a sip of his tea, though he kept the edges of his lips pulled up in a smile. "W-well, I guess tha-that was why I was, um, chosen to be the Earth Knight." Ugh, it always took him a while to say anything, what with the stuttering and the hesitations, but at least -

_Knock knock_.

Earth glanced at the door suspiciously, though he didn't narrow his eyes.

"Wh-who is it?" he called out, but he had a feeling he knew who was going to be on the other side.

The door swung open, and Sun walked in, a sparkling smile spread across his face. It _would_ be Sun interrupting him; it never failed that just as he was about to broach the subject with a woman, any disturbance was caused by that nuisance, Sun!

"S-Sun, what is it?" Since when had he ever knocked?

The smile on the other Knight's face changed, turning into a smirk, though Earth doubted the priestess noticed, too dazzled by Sun's looks, damn him.

"Ah, my friend, Earth!" Sun greeted, a glint in his eyes. "The God of Light shines upon you this day - while the God of Light's other children have been gifted by merely being in His presence, or have found His kindness in the miracles He presents, you have been bestowed the honour of acting upon His wishes. I will be extending my knowledge and love for the God of Light through reflection of His acts."

_You've got a mission; move it. I, on the other hand, have a vacation, ha!_

Dammit! Earth twitched, but stopped himself from scowling, seeing the priestess' dazed face from Sun's speech. He tilted a grin at the other Knight, gritting his teeth. "Thank you, Sun, for t-telling me."

"My friend, I would not miss the chance to converse with you, especially when the God of Light's wishes may take a while to see to their completion."

"Oh?" Earth uttered, his face a picture of polite enquiry. He did _not_ like how Sun's smirk deepened.

"I'm not sure of the details, too distracted by the magnificence of the God of Light through the window, but I think He wishes you to spend a lot of time and thought in this task."

_You won't have any time for anything else!_

"Of course I will put my all into this." Dammit!

"Ah, Sun has to go; the time for the God of Light to rest is fast approaching, and Sun has a few more errands to do before he can retire to dream of the God of Light." With a cheery wave, Sun sent the priestess an enchanting smile before slipping out the room.

"Oh my, Sun really is handsome!" the priestess sighed after the door closed, her cheeks red.

Earth fumed inside, but his smile didn't budge. That annoying Sun!


	7. Discombobulate

**Summary**: Sun just wants to be able to talk normally.

It was sort of fun trying to make Sun talk on and on (though I failed). It took aaages trying to figure out what the heck to make Sun say though.

Paragraphs are... funny here. I think there was a liiiittle bit too much talking in some points.

* * *

**Discombobulate**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

"It's nice weather we're having today," the priestess next to Sun commented.

Sun smiled brightly at her. He hadn't seen her around recently, but Sun had definitely recorded her before. "The God of Light has gifted us with so much of His benevolence today that it seeps into everything around us, making even the darkest shadows brighter under His influence." Sun turned his head away from the priestess, just in case it seemed like he was staring at her (which he was, but he wasn't supposed to love women, right? Not that it mattered where Sun was looking; he was still recording her anyway - huh, her skin looked healthier and more tanned than before. Had she been on holiday?)

"The radiance of His kindness has lifted the hearts of His children, making us feel more joyous of our lives."

The priestess was staring blankly ahead, and after a few seconds of silence, the priestess dug into her pockets and pulled out a few silver ducats. She mutely pressed them into Sun's palms before then scurrying away, her head bowed.

_'It's not my fault!'_ Sun wailed in his heart. _'I can't help this stupid expectation of me means I can't talk normally!_'

A few minutes later, Sun could hear the tramp of multiple footsteps in perfect synchrony. There was only one platoon that could walk like that. While Sun was happy that he'd be seeing Judgement, he wasn't so happy having to smile again so soon. Grumbling, he pulled up from his dejected slouch and stuck another wide smile on his face.

When Judgement saw him, he slowed down before eventually stopping, an eyebrow raised (well, not literally, but Sun knew him well enough that that was what Judgement would have shown, if they had been alone). "Have you not yet learned that it is through the God of Light's harshness that His children should live by?"

_You were talking with a woman again, weren't you?"_

"Ah, but can't you see His loving touch upon this day? Even you can surely say that He is kind for allowing the growth of the crops and feeding of the animals in different pastures?"

_She talked about the weather! I had to respond!_

The edges of Judgement's eyes crinkled up slightly, showing that he was fighting back a smile. "And those crops and animals may have been devoured while they were free, and that too would have been the will of the unforgiving God of Light."

_Maybe you should avoid them._

Sun had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Like he would do that. Even if he couldn't talk with them, he could still look at them. And if it meant he'd have to praise the God of Light and drive them away when they talked to him, he still had his recordings. But ugh, his cheeks were starting to hurt! Too much smiling already!

"They are protected by their farmers and their watchers, to ensure that no harm comes to them. Through their hard work, those children of the God of Light can then live on to the next day, taking what they need from the gifts that He gives them, and living their lives in harmony with His blessing."

_Ha ha, very funny. At least I got some money for my retirement._

Judgement sent him a narrow glare while Sun parried it with an even wider smile. Dammit, it didn't feel like his cheeks were going to be normal after this. Thankfully, without another word, Judgement began walking away again, his platoon not a step behind.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Sun started to head back to his bedroom, hoping that no-one else would make him talk.


	8. Cold

**Summary**: The world was cold now.

Spoilers for the Death Knight's identity.

Mix of both sources.

* * *

**Cold**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

The world was cold now. Out of all the physical changes to him, Roland felt that that was the worst. Touch was _different_ now; it took his skin longer to acknowledge when he was touching something, holding something. Sometimes, his skin didn't notice, no matter what he did.

Like the sun.

It had been rather horrifying to realise that after everything he had been through, he could no longer feel the God of Light's touch upon his skin. A truly cursed and hated creature.

He was unaffected by the elements it seemed, and he'd tested that out, wearing less and less layers, and still, when stripped to the last, the world felt no different from when he was fully kitted out. Eventually, he stopped putting the extra armour on - it took too long, especially when he was doing it himself, and it wasn't like he needed the added protection. He wasn't embarrassed having others see him like this, undressed as he was - who would recognise him? (Only one.)

But, he should dwell on that later - he had justice to exact.


	9. Enemy

**Summary**: Fras was pretty sure he didn't sign up for this.

Fras is the name I gave to the knight that got dressed up as the Death Knight by Judgement in V1C9. XD;

Mixing in both novel and manhua.

* * *

**Enemy**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Fras stood nervously at attention, shoulder to shoulder with his brothers, the Ice Knight staring unemotionally at Morson, who was on Fras' left. They hadn't been told why they were doing this, but the Judgement Knight didn't do things without a reason.

Still, Fras couldn't help that there were trickles of sweat running down the side of his face when Ice turned his attention to him. Ice flicked his eyes up and down him, and Fras could feel his heart freeze in place when Ice _didn't_ move away, but stayed there, taking another, longer look.

He _really_ wanted to run away and hide under his bed when Ice curtly nodded and Judgement stepped towards him, gesturing a dismissal to Fras' brothers.

* * *  
Fras was pretty sure he didn't sign up for this. He signed up to hunt and capture criminals; he didn't sign up to dress up as one, and he'd flushed bright red when he had seen what he needed to wear. Or not wear, considering the general _lack_ of clothing in the Death Knight's attire.

Staring at himself in the full-length mirror, Judgement and Ice behind him, Fras was fairly sure he couldn't get any redder if he tried. The room was cold, and he supressed the shivers that were staring to grow within him. Even though he had a layer between his skin and the armour, Fras could still feel the metal pressed up against him.

"You're going to have to act suspiciously," Judgement murmured, a frown tugging at his lips.

"Sir?" Suspiciously? There were a lot of different ways a person could act to be seen as suspicious.

"Pretend that you're searching for something," Judgement informed him, keeping eye contact in the mirror. "Drag your feet slightly."

That wouldn't be hard - Fras wasn't sure if he'd actually be able to walk in these shoes.

"Practice it."

Now? But an order was an order, no matter how strange, so Fras took a teetering step forward.

* * *

The shoes pinched his toes. The breeches were also very tight, but there was armour wrapped around Fras' legs, so he couldn't do anything about it. He'd been able to do a fairly decent shambling walk at least.

Judgement wasn't in the room, Fras noticed at that point, Ice standing a little distance away. Uh... Fras probably wouldn't get an answer if he asked about Judgement's whereabouts, so he turned around and continued practicing.

A few minutes later, Fras heard the door creak open, and he turned around to see Judgement re-enter the room, a bowl in his hands. Fras eyed it warily as he approached his captain.

"This mixture is used to lighten your skin..." Judgement trailed off and the implications of his words sank in.

"Is it permanent?" Fras asked before he realised he'd even thought it, and he clapped his hands over his traitorous mouth, in case it did that again.

"No," Judgement said, shaking his head, not remarking upon his outburst. "It only lasts about a day or so."

Oh, that was good to know. "But, how do you know..." Why was he questioning the words of a superior - _especially_ if that superior was the Judgement Knight? His mouth was going to get him in deep trouble one of these days!

"Someone I know uses this all the time." Judgement's eyes were distant as he said this, and Fras peered at the thick, off-white paste.

This was for the sake of finding a criminal who needed to be punished for their sins. For that, he would do this gladly. Fras reached forward, scooped some of the stuff -it cooled his hands even further than what they currently were- and began applying it to his skin.


	10. Callous

**Summary**: Judgement does his job.

Violent imagery.

* * *

**Callous**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

The accused in front of Judgement stood with his back hunched, a smirk etched across his face, unheeding of the people at his back or, apparently, the situation he was in.

Judgement glanced down at the papers in front of him, seeing all of the witness statements that had been gathered, all the evidence collected to prove the man's guilt. There had been no signs of the murderer being anyone else. So many lives taken, yet the man seemed _happy_ about the deeds that he had done, not denying them in the slightest when questioned.

"You have been found guilty of murdering Esten, Santel, Yarsik, and Penden." Judgement's voice rang in the heavy silence. They were people with no connection with one another, killed for the sole reason of walking down a street during the nighttime.

Hearing those words, the accused's smirk widened and he bared his teeth at Judgement.

"You will not be forgiven by the God of Light."

At Judgement's nod, his knights began flogging the man. As blood started to pour from the man's wounds, staining the floor like the thousands before him, Judgement's stomach churned, seeing the bits of flesh fly upon every strike.

Throughout it all, the man screamed and screamed and screamed.


	11. Alone

**Summary**: Sun was never alone.

Set early on.

* * *

**Alone**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Sun was never alone. True, it felt like it sometimes, being placed on a pedestal for all to see and adore, and it especially felt like it when he'd driven another woman away through his speech, but he was not alone like he had been when he was younger.

Here, he was surrounded by people who acknowledged him, and more than that, he was surrounded by his Knights. Some only knew him as the Sun Knight, while there were others that knew him better as Grisia.

The times when Sun was feeling particularly isolated, there would always be someone there to distract him; Storm needing help to get away from a pack of women vying for his attention, verbally sparring with Earth under the guise of being best friends, chatting with Judgement about everyday things while seeming to be at odds with one another. And that was just while wandering about the Holy Church.

When fighting together, Sun knew they would always have his back, no matter what faction they were on; Leaf with his scarily accurate and fast arrows, Ice with his popsicle for a sword, Fire with his huge broadsword.

No, Sun was never alone.


	12. Evening

**Summary**: Pink wasn't too sure about this one.

Set in the Fake Reality side story, but you don't have to have read it for this to be understandable. :) Grisia is fifteen here

I... do not have Pink's voice. D: I don't know why she won't call Grisia by his name either.

* * *

**Evening**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Pink wasn't too sure about this one - it didn't seem like he'd last for very long. She had already finished her lollipop a long time ago and the Sun Knight-to-be was still in her back garden, battling with a level one dead knight. He had nearly made himself into a corpse in front of her a number of times already. Pink didn't think she'd use his corpse if he did end up doing it; he wouldn't be very useful as a servant. Well, maybe he'd be good for watering flowers... And possibly to look at too...

There had been a commotion earlier on, but it must not have been anything interesting, because her cleaning corpse came out afterwards with only a few singed slashes in his clothing.

_'Maybe the lack of light is affecting his fighting skills._' But no, that couldn't be correct - the Knight-in-training was wielding his sword the same as he had been when he first started: badly.

It was another hour before her dead knight was finally defeated. Hm. Maybe the Sun Knight-to-be would be better suited with a freshly risen corpse. Or maybe a non-animated one.

The Knight-in-training was celebrating his victory by jumping up and down, his arms waving in the air, laughing elatedly.

Pink held out her palm. The Sun Knight-to-be eventually noticed and then wandered over to her, peering at her hand.

When he stopped in front of her, she said, "Five silver ducats."

He blinked once and then his eyes went round. "Do I have to?"

She nodded.

"But I need that to get back!" he wailed.

"And you used my services." Pink moved her fingers, drawing his attention back to what he was supposed to be doing.

With a pained expression, the Knight-in-training searched his pockets and then carefully counted out the coins. There was one copper ducat left after Pink had been paid.

Looking down at the lonely ducat, the Sun Knight-to-be put it back it in his pouch. He looked up at the position of the moon before sighing. "Can I pay you in lollipops next time?"

"No." It was tempting, but not quite enough.

Grumbling, the Knight-in-training mumbled his goodbyes and left.

Hm. He had a long way to go before he reached the Holy Church. Maybe she should follow him, to collect his corpse as soon as he fell. Pink grabbed a cloak, indicated for her cleaning corpse to follow, and together they left, the night swallowing them up instantly.


	13. Dirty

**Summary**: Sun gets dirty. This is not good.

Swearing.

Ahaha~! I love making Sun panic. XDD

We haven't seen any monsters yet, have we? Apart from undead and mentions of zombies.

So I realised that I haven't written that much action yet... :3

* * *

**Dirty**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

"Damn!" Sun shook his head, trying to get his hair out of his vision. It worked, his hair now plastered to his head, but that meant nothing in the face of a pouring rain so fierce Sun could barely see.

He just hoped the naga was the same. It didn't seem like it though, being able to coil and spring like he was on dry stone, not slippery mud. Baring his teeth, the naga charged at him again, his spear aimed right for Sun's heart.

Gripping the hilt of his sword as tightly as he could (which wasn't much, seeing as Sun's hands felt like they were paralysed from the cold, the rain loosening what little hold he had also), Sun was just able to block the fatal strike. He wasn't able to keep his footing however, the sheer force of the blow making him stagger backwards.

The mud wasn't just slippery - it was _clingy_ too.

With his eyes wide, his arms futilely trying to get his balance back when it was already far too late, Sun landed with a muted squelching sound.

No time to think about just how much colder he got, or what state his back was in, or the fact that he could feel stones and branches poking holes in his clothing - the naga had slithered up the length of his body, pinning him soundly with his much heavier bulk and was bringing his spear down on his head.

Sun was barely able to swing his sword up fast enough to deflect the weapon so that it impacted next to his head, nicking his cheek.

_'Whew, that was - aaaaaah, my hair! That has to have sliced through my hair!'_ What were people going to say, the Sun Knight with one half of his hair longer than the other?

With an inhuman howl, Sun slashed at the belly of the naga, his strength renewed. _'I have to end this fight _now!_ What else might happen to my image if this continues?'_ Images flashed through his mind: Sun with uneven, _very_ short hair; people seeing Sun like he was now, covered in mud and leaves, drenched from head to toe; his teacher finding out.

...

That must not happen!

The naga had reared back, jaw open and hissing, and Sun swiped at him again, driving him away further. When there was enough distance between them, Sun attempted to slide out of the hole in the ground he was currently in. _Attempted_ to. But he was completely stuck, the mud sucking at him when he tried to move. Grunting, Sun struggled even harder to get upright.

With a rumbling growl, the naga began winding his way towards him again, his spear held securely in his claws.

Shit.

Using every bit of his strength, Sun hauled himself up and... What was that sound? It sounded like another beast crashing towards them, breaking everything in its way. The naga turned his head towards the din briefly, before bringing his attention back to Sun, considering him. He only did that for a second before there was more noise from the undergrowth. Giving Sun one last look, the naga dived back into the forest.

Sun groaned, no energy for anything else. He'd spent _hours_ looking for it in the first place, he'd lost his guide at some point, he was chilled to the bone, there was some monster probably about to come and eat him alive...

And he was oh so very dirty.

Arms and legs trembling, Sun hefted his sword up again, and he grimaced at the sight of it dripping mud and the additional weight it gave the sword.

He could _not_ die here; there wasn't a single way that he could die in gracefully when his head was more mud than hair, and his clothes were completely unrecognisable as his.

What pounded through the trees was humanoid, its skin patched different colours and... Eh?

It was his guide, brandishing a dagger. Sun let his sword dip in relief and he slogged his way towards the other man, grinning widely.

His guide took one look at him and started waving his dagger around in larger arcs, looking prepared to attack.

"Another monster!"

...What?


	14. Tree

**Summary**: In a fight between Grisia and a dog, who would win? ...Stupid question.

Set in Grisia's training days. Lesus is mini-Judgement. :3

* * *

**Tree**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Scowling, Grisia glared down at the barking dog from his vantage point high in the tree. He'd been up there for an hour already! Probably. It certainly _felt_ like it anyway.

He couldn't believe he'd been chased over half the city! Normally dogs stopped chasing him after a certain amount of time or distance, but this one had persistently (ha, not doggedly) followed after him, stubbornly jumped over every obstacle Grisia had put in its path, and every time he thought he'd lost it, it was suddenly right _there_ in front of him as soon as he relaxed.

It was a demon dog. Its eyes were wide and staring, with a huge head carrying a jaw full of sharp teeth, and legs able to propel it at tremendous speeds. Maybe it was actually possessed by the harshness of the God of Light Lesus was supposed to sprout at people.

Warily, Grisia peered at it again. It was still bouncing up and down in its attempt to get at him. Grisia stuck his tongue out at it.

A few minutes later, he was relieved to see Lesus coming down the street. Lesus didn't even draw his sword, merely picking the evil incarnate up instead. It continued barking, struggling to scramble out his grasp.

"Come down," Lesus said, looking up, finding him straight away.

But... the monster dog... But Lesus had a firm grip on it, so Grisia made his way down.

"Turn around."

Huh? Confused, Grisia did as he was bid, and he felt Lesus' hand pat him down. Grisia started when he felt something that hadn't been there before. There was a rustle of cloth as Lesus pulled whatever-it-was out. He looked over his shoulder to see Lesus present the dog with a ball. Yipping, the dog collected it in its mouth and when it was put back on the ground, it trotted away, tail wagging.

"What took you so long?"

"There are a lot of trees in the city."

Grisia frowned. Okay, fine.

"And the tips of the pup's ears doesn't even come close to your knees. When it's on its hind legs. I thought you could at least handle that."

"Hey... It was absolutely vicious, all right?"

Lesus snorted softly. "Let's go back before anyone sees us."

Quietly, they made their way back to the Holy Church.

* * *

XDD I'm picturing a chihuahua.


	15. Spell

**Summary**: What's wrong with learning a spell? ...or three.

Set in Grisia's training days.

* * *

**Spell**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Eyes wide, Grisia stared, completely enraptured as the wrinkly old man, swathed in beaten and ratty rags, continued his performance, fire pluming up his fingertips, slivers of ice hovering around his head, lightning sparking from his feet.

Grisia could feel something _clicking_in his head, an understanding he had blooming under the surface. He wasn't entirely sure what it was he understood so well from merely watching the retired mage do the only magic he was able to, but it was definitely something.

Afterwards, when the show had finished and the crowd had long dispersed, Grisia still stood there, waggling his fingers and watching the three elements flicker back and forth in his palm. Weren't you supposed to train and practice for years and years before you could do this?

He raised his head at the sound of his name, and saw his teacher making his way over. Clenching his hand, the spells blinking out of existence, Grisia jogged up to his teacher, wondering what new things he'd learn today.


	16. Busy Knight

**Summary**: Sun was _not_ leaving his bedroom. ... Not without a fight anyway.

Swearing. Vague disturbing imagery.

Mixing of both novel and manhua.

XD Bwahaha, I love annoying Sun!

Excuse my bad pun, I couldn't help it. :3

* * *

**Busy Knight**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Groaning, Sun threw himself onto his bed and just lay there for a few seconds, feeling every single one of his muscles relax bit by bit. Was there a way he could crawl under the covers without moving? He tried to, rolling left and right before eventually giving up.

Shit, he was so _tired_; he wasn't even exactly sure how he got back - the journey had been a haze of green and a stomach that felt like it was in the depths of a tiny ship in the middle of a typhoon, the carriage nearly throwing him through the ceiling a number of times.

The mission itself had involved a dragon, a princess, and a spell, and trying to sort _that_ out had induced a headache that Sun was sure the God of Light could feel. He still couldn't figure out how the princess had managed to convince a dragon to make it rain cats and dogs. The resulting outcome... was not nice to see, putting it mildly. And then there were the ones that looked like they'd been merged together and ugh.

So. He had a couple of days vacation after that mess and he was fully intending to spend it in his bedroom, only leaving to relieve himself and to eat.

... And that would be someone frantically beating at his door.

He'd only lay down for a few moments and he was already getting interrupted? That was not a good sign.

Heaving himself up, his arms straining to support his weight, Sun slid off his bed, stumbling towards the door, whoever on the other side still attacking it like it would open faster the harder they hit it. Sun only belatedly remembered to smile when the door was already swinging open and Sun had a brief second before his face was revealed to the other person. (Good thing Sun was practiced with this then, huh?)

The person who'd been trying to knock his door down was a knight, his uniform placing him in Sun's own platoon. His face was flushed and sweating, his helmet was askew and he was panting for breath. Sun wasn't sure if he recognised him - all you could normally see was eye colour and possibly hair colour when they wore their helms, so you normally just had to guess who was under them. Before Sun could open his mouth, the knight had sketched out a salute and immediately began speaking, the words tumbling out his mouth like they were racing to be the first one to be said.

"There's a fire in the trade district! We're not sure how it started, but it's fully ablaze now, three buildings already engulfed." He took a breath. "We're not sure what to do and it's spreading even further as we speak."

Throw water at it...? Wasn't that how you normally did it?

Loosening his face muscles to show a look of concern (which was good, because his cheeks were already feeling stiff), Sun murmured, "May the God of Light look after those that have found themselves before Him this night." He continued on, voice louder and addressing the knight. "But, brother, would it not have been more prudent to seek the assistance of brother Ice?" The heat could cause Ice's attacks to melt and become water. Simple.

The knight paled, his eyes wide, and he shook his head. "But he's in the 'cruel, cold-hearted' faction!"

Ugh, Sun really hated that separation sometimes. "That may be true, but brother Ice would not want the work of the innocent to be destroyed."

"But..."

There was movement behind the knight and Sun craned his neck to see past his head, the colours looking familiar.

"Brother Ice!"

The knight squeaked, his whole body tensing, his eyes going round once more.

Ice heard him, turning his head towards them before changing the direction he had been walking in.

"Have you suddenly came upon the realisation that the God of Light will not forgive everyone's sins?"

Sun beamed at him, his smile more natural than it had been minutes before. No time for the usual exchange though. "No, brother Ice, but there is a fire that is hungry tonight in the trade district and-"

Ice cut him off with a curt nod, looking at the knight beside him. "Lead the way."

The knight shakily nodded, spinning on his heel and started jogging down the corridor, Ice only a few steps behind him.

Sighing a breath of relief, Sun shut the door and let himself fall on the side of the bed, the material under him feeling nice and cool. He brought a leg up and began tugging at his boots. When both feet were free, the boots dumped to the side, he wiggled his toes, letting them move freely again after being trapped for so long.

...And that would be someone knocking on his door again. This time it was a steady beat, with equal pressure against the wood. It was still annoying though.

He'd just gotten his shoes off! But he quickly threw them back on and hurried to the door to make the incessant noise stop.

It was another knight, this time extremely pale, tremors shivering up his body. His uniform said he was in the regular troops platoon. Stiffly, the knight saluted. "Sir, t-there's a spirit in the residential sector that's s-stirring up trouble, scaring the civilians."

While Sun continued smiling, he was frowning inside. Didn't anyone know what the twelve Holy Knights specialised in? And why was he reacting like that? Hadn't he seen a spirit before? "Sun is profusely apologetic, but Sun is powerless to help you." Well, he wasn't, but he was on vacation, dammit! Every single second was precious and he had wasted so many of them already! "However, Sun can recommend seeking the help of Fire Knight - he has been blessed by the God of Light abilities that are very effective against battling those that have not left this world properly to see Him."

Saluting once more, the knight, with a little more colour in his cheeks, hurried down the corridor.

Sun poked his head out of his room, peering left and right. Apart from the quickly disappearing knight, the only movement was from the flickering torchlight lining the walls. Satisfied that he wasn't going to be interrupted again soon, Sun pulled his head back in, closing the door behind him.

He wandered back to bed and half threw himself on it, his mind blissfully blank. He lay there for a few seconds, waiting for the next knock at the door. It didn't come. Glad that he'd finally gotten some peace, Sun crawled under his bedsheets and fell asleep.

* * *  
Wha-? Blearily, Sun raised his head, trying to work out what had woken him. There wasn't anything in the room so - groaning, Sun tried to bury his head under the pillow. He could ignore this one, right? It was so late Sun was sure even the stars were asleep! The knocking continued, grouped in threes, a light tapping, but hard enough to be heard clearly. There was only one person Sun knew who knocked like that.

Grumbling, Sun wormed himself out of bed, running a hand through his hair, hoping it would be enough to be presentable. He could be forgiven for not wearing his boots at this late an hour, and thankfully, his clothing didn't seem _too_ crumpled.

Throwing his hair over his shoulder, where that should hopefully hide the tangles, Sun opened the door.

"I'm really sorry for bothering you at the time, Sun," Leaf said, looking as if it was midday, not midnight, "but there's an undead in the heart of the city."

What, it was that time of the month already? But why was it so late? Oh, who cared. Growling, Sun ran to get his sword - he _definitely_ had a reason for feeling frustrated tonight!

* * *  
Okay, that might not have been the best idea, fighting while he was still recovering from the last number of days, Sun thought as he stepped back through his door. But if he hadn't done anything Leaf would have continued standing outside his door, trying to get his attention.

Right. Now, that was out the way, he was _not_ -

Sun turned to see another knight behind him.

"We've been receiving reports of a suspicious character wearing a black cloak wandering up and down by the river."

'_What do you want me to do? Forgive him?'_ Lips twitching, Sun kept his smile in place (probably because his muscles were now locked in that position). "Suspicious characters are not in my jurisdiction unfortunately - it is of brother Judgement's." He had a headache, he could barely carry his sword, he was absolutely _ravenous_, it felt like his clothes were too tight, amongst a castle-full of other things. Above all that, he just wanted to _sleep_.

The knight thankfully didn't protest, leaving instantly. Warily, Sun went to his door and stayed there for a few minutes, expecting the next person to come.

No-one did.

Slowly, Sun closed his door, edging towards his bed, his ears listening for any errant sounds. Still nothing. Carefully he lay on top of his bed.

He fell asleep waiting for the next interruption.

* * *  
There were birds chirping shrilly the next time Sun awoke, the God of Light only just beginning to show his face. _'Go away,'_ Sun thought darkly. He was feeling stiff and still _tired_; he still needed rest even if he was able to heal quickly. That ability was largely useless in the face of sheer exhaustion, and he hadn't even been injured in the first place anyway.

And that was someone rapping on the door, crisp and short.

Sun could recognise that knock, as foggy as his mind was feeling then. He fell out of bed and after bumping into his bed, his desk, chair... There were other things, but he was too bruised to notice them by that point. Sun opened his door, smiling weakly at Judgement. Who didn't smile back, didn't look at him, and there was a rustle of cloth as he played with the hem of his sleeve.

"You have another mission, and you have to leave right now."

Noooooo!

* * *

The buildings on fire were empty when it started, don't worry. :3


	17. Lock

**Summary**: Grisia lightens his skin as usual.

Swearing.

* * *

**Lock**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Grisia hummed to himself as he went through the motions to make the skin-lightening goop. It was nearly ingrained now; he'd done it a few times already, with less mishaps after every one.

Once he was finished, he wiped down the Divine Sun Sword's sheath, seeing it sparkle and gleam again. He put it away safely (under the bed was a good place to put it, wasn't it?) and then took to the task of taking off his clothes. After he was done with that, he turned his attention to the mixture.

Taking a handful, Grisia began spreading it across his skin, shivering a little at its cool temperature. He was careful to not put any close to his special area, that lesson learned well, if too late.

When it covered his skin equally, Grisia waited for it to harden slightly, so that he would be able to sleep on it, rather than it smearing while he slept. He didn't want to wake to patchy skin again.

It was while Grisia was lifting his covers to slide under them that he realised he'd forgotten something very important.

"Grisia? Are you...?"

Freezing, Grisia looked over his shoulder, feeling the paste crack and flake off at his neck. Lesus was standing there, his hand still on the door as he stared at him.

_Crap._ What was he supposed to say to explain this?

"Oh," Lesus said, his voice faint. "_That's_ how you lightened your skin."

Huh? Grisia gaped at him. "How did you figure it out so quickly?"

He got a dry look in return, tempered by a small smile. "Your skin was a lot darker when I first met you."

Oh. Lesus _would_ notice something like that. Grinning, glad that he wouldn't have to hide this from his friend, Grisia let the cover drop, wondering why Lesus had come to him in the first place.

As soon as Grisia began turning around however, Lesus clapped his hands over his eyes. "Cover yourself first!"

"Ack!" Where was _his towel?_


	18. Summer

**Summary**: Sun hated the summer.

* * *

**Summer**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Sun hated the summer. It meant the God of Light showed himself more, and stronger than he did during the winter months, leading Sun to buy more ingredients to make enough of the mixture to hopefully keep up. He tanned far too easily during this season! (Let's not get into how much more he had to praise the God of Light when the months came around, shall we?)

Right now, the temperature was too hot, Sun absolutely _sweltering_ under his clothes, no matter that he was under the cool shadow of the church. He glowered covertly at Fire, who was sauntering over to him, a sharp grin on his face, completely unaffected by heat.

"Yo, wanna see Ice?" Fire said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

_Yes,_ in fact, he did. But the problem was, as usual, Ice was in the other faction, so they couldn't just walk up to him like they were friends.

"Heh." Fire threw an arm around his neck and started dragging him in a direction. "Since when has that ever stopped us?"

Snorting, Sun allowed himself to be pulled away. That was definitely true. It'd been a while since he'd tasted Ice's baking anyway.


	19. Slip

**Summary**: Sun is chasing after something.

Mild swearing.

* * *

**Slip**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

_Dammit!_ Sun ducked under a tree, keeping a hand on his hair to make sure it wouldn't become tangled in some branches. Again. He didn't even know what he was chasing yet! All he knew was that it was barely distinguishable from the rocky mountain terrain around him, possibly about thigh height when it was on all fours, and it was very, _very_ fast. Sun had only been able to see snatches of it, small flurries of movement in the corner of his eyes, and from the little he'd seen it _seemed_ like he was chasing after the right thing.

Skidding along a patch of loose stones, Sun stopped at a line of trees that barred his way. He was sure that the whatever-it-was had come through here. It wasn't like a few trees was going to stop him, even if they were more densely packed than the group he'd just left. They were only _trees_.

Charging forward, Sun ran past three trees before getting thrust into open air - and _only_ open air.

Sun got a flash of just how far the slope went below him before he started finding out with first-hand experience. Face-first.

* * *

Gah, the alliteration in that last paragraph.


	20. Sorry

**Summary**: Grisia is checking out the deliveries.

Swearing.

Ceo is little Storm Knight. :3

C'mon. I _had_ to write at least one! XDD

* * *

**Sorry**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Grisia looked left and right, keeping an eye out for any movement. So far, nothing, and Grisia couldn't hear anything that wasn't birds twittering so he was free to check out the basket that had been left on the doorstep of the Holy Church. He normally wasn't awake early enough to rifle through - to see what had been delivered before the items were passed on, so he was going to use this opportunity since he wasn't sure the next time he'd be able to.

He peeked under the napkin, but it wasn't enough for him to see what was underneath it. Well, if he took too long being cautious, he might get caught. With that in mind, Grisia tugged off the napkin, nose twitching.

_'Hmm. Books, scrolls - no sweets though.'_ There was a small jar tucked away in the corner that caught Grisia's eyes. Curious, he picked it up - only for it to slip from his fingers, the glass shattering as soon as it hit the steps. There was a bright blue stain left in its wake.

Shit.

...No-one was going to notice, right? It was only a small thing...

Grisia threw the napkin back and ran.

* * *  
Ceo pushed the door open, taking a deep breath, smelling the sweet... What _was_ that smell?

He glanced down, seeing blue liquid splattered like blood across the stone steps. Ceo's thoughts halted, his entire mind wiping clean of every thought he'd been having.

That was his hair dye... He'd finished his previous stock a few days ago and his hair was starting to reveal its true colour.

Before his rage could fully take hold, Ceo quashed it; the Storm Knight was supposed to be a flirtatious slacker, not a vengeful berserker. _'So,'_ Ceo thought, a calm spreading through him, the fury kept tightly in check, _'I need to find the culprit who did this. Someone is bound to have seen something._' Shutting the door again, a gentle smile spreading across his face, Ceo began to categorise which people he would get in contact with first.

* * *

Would have had _cough_ after 'rifle through' but I don't think that works in third person.


	21. Money

**Summary**: The bets are made.

XD Another OC! And I'm again surprised that this prompt wasn't from the expected pov (but yey, new chapter means new fodder!)

Was originally going to call the people 'bookmakers' but I think 'bookies' is slightly less confusing?

* * *

**Money**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Glancing around at the bustling crowd -actually many small groups of people altogether but so densely packed it was hard to tell who belonged to which one- Colkin wasn't sure what to do. The din around him was disorientating; there were more people clustered here than he had ever seen in his life and every single one was yelling to place their bets, trying to be heard over their neighbour. Even as he stood there, Colkin had been bumped into a number of times already as people passed by and he quickly pressed a hand to his pouch, making sure it was still there.

He'd brought his meager funds, what little was left from what was needed for the family, hoping to place his bets on the upcoming Holy Knights but... He couldn't even _see_ the bookies, they were surrounded so well.

Okay, that was a lie; he was able to see some of them, their white uniforms trimed with golden touches standing out amongst the drabber populace, but Colkin could see that from the boards they held, they were not collecting bets for the more popular candidates.

He didn't have much time left, home being on the outskirts of the city and the announcements were going to be made soon. He wouldn't be able to bet on the favourites, or even the ones after them, not with so many other people fighting against him with the same intention, but he had to put the money _somewhere_. After double-checking the people he would have better chances of reaching without too much difficulty, Colkin ducked his head and began squeezing his way through.

* * *  
Colkin... should not have been surprised. Every bet he had placed had not happened, the expected children all getting chosen (apart from the Ice Knight. Swarms of people had charged off to get their money back after that announcement). Maybe he should have tried to be more assertive, should have shoved through the walls of people to get to who he wanted to. But he wouldn't have, his build too small to even be able to make people notice if he tried to get past, let alone if he actually tried to move them out his way.

The last Knight yet to be announced was the Sun Knight, and Colkin debated if he should even stay for it. He'd only been able to bet on _Grisia_, the little blond kid he kept seeing sneaking around the city, because his bookie was the first he could get to and the deadline had passed a few seconds before. He hadn't known how truly _bad_ Grisia's odds were until he asked after he'd handed his last coins over.

563 to 1.

Against _1.052_ to 1.

He would _not_ be getting any extra money this day.

Just as Colkin was turning away, the announcer cleared his throat and everyone became silent once more - though there wasn't much reason for it, as the Sun Knight would follow the same pattern as the previous Knights.

"The individual to succeed the present Sun Knight," the announcer called out, his voice still clear even after shouting so loudly for so long, "is Grisia-"

Grisia's last name was lost amongst the cheering of the crowd that then petered out as soon as it started.

_'Grisia?_ Grisia_ is the next Sun Knight?'_ Colkin thought, dumbstruck. '_Not Roland? But the differences in their odds...!_'

Was 563 to 1.

And Colkin had betted on Grisia.

That... couldn't be... It suddenly didn't feel like Colkin's legs would even be able to support a speck of dust. Sounds were different too, like they had been put through a hollow bowl first, and it was as if the God of Light had brightened his vision and was now touching everything that He was able to with as much force as He could.

He was _rich!_

* * *

People are annoyed at the Ice Knight announcement because Ecilan hadn't been training or anything to become the next Ice Knight - he was chosen when he went to deliver bread. XDD

I'm going to be without internet for a couple of days; I should be back on Monday. :3


	22. Crowd

**Summary**: Storm's in trouble.

* * *

**Crowd**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Breath stuttering, Storm eyed the group of three women in trepidation as they approached him with wide grins and calculating looks on their faces. Oh no. He peeked for any available exits but there weren't any, save for behind the women and the direction Storm had come from. He couldn't turn away now, not after he'd seem them and they'd _seen_ him see them.

In turn, he gave every one a wink accompanied by a tilt of the lips.

None of them blushed or faltered a step, still heading straight towards him, their grins even wider now.

That wasn't good.

In a few seconds they had surrounded him entirely, blocking him from moving in any direction. Storm felt a tug on his clothing and he was just able to stop the reflexive 'eep!'

"Storm Knight," the woman who was tugging at his sleeve said, pulling the fabric closer to her face. She flicked her eyes up at him, eyelids heavy and her smile lazy. "Your tunic is _filthy_ - you should change it and have a bath."

Before Storm could respond, the woman on his right chimed in with, "We can help!"

Um. "I do apologise but..." Help? There wasn't anyone he could call to; it would have been pointless to anyway - he was _supposed_ to flirt and - and...

"Oh, brother Storm!" someone said, drawing the women's attention. "May the God of Light be filling your day with His benevolence."

He wasn't, no, not right now - but maybe He was, sending Sun to rescue him. Storm covered a sigh of relief, smiling at the other Knight.

"Sun requires brother Storm's input on certain matters, unless he is busy...?" Sun glanced at the women curiously.

Ha. Hahaha... "No, not so much that I don't have time to help you." How often was it that Sun was easily understandable to him? Maybe the God of Light _had_ decided to look after him for today.

Waving goodbye and ignoring the disappointed looks, Storm followed Sun, feeling the women's gazes on his back. He slumped against the wall once they were out of their sight, not caring what Sun would make of it. "Thanks."

"No," Sun said, smile ever present, "thank _you_."

Huh? With a confused set to his eyebrows, Storm looked up at Sun - and then saw the pile of papers sitting behind Sun. Wait...

Sun blinked at him. "Brother Storm said that he would be able to assist Sun," -his face turned woeful- "unless Sun misheard?"

Yes, he did say that, but... Storm had thought it had been an excuse to get him out of that situation, not actually a request. But then, thinking about it, Sun didn't know about him being uncomfortable, so why would he have done that? Storm had just been clutching at any way to get away.

Mustering a smile, Storm shook his head. "I'll do it."

The guilt vanished from Sun's face.

Paperwork was always the better choice when put beside trying to escape from ladies' attention. Storm strode forward, readying himself for the task ahead.


	23. Mirror

**Summary**: Ice first thing in the morning.

Manhua-verse.

* * *

**Mirror**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Ice knew every single bit of his face, every scar, every minute fold of skin. He had to - he'd been staring closely at his face every morning now for over a decade.

At some point he had begun to wonder if it was because of the way that the Ice Knight looked that more affected the expected personality than the expected personality influencing how the Ice Knight was supposed to look.

With the sparkling face accessories in his hand, Ice began sticking them one-by-one onto his face. It had gotten easier over the years, and having more practice at keeping his expression still also helped as well. In the beginning, he'd had to keep redoing putting them on because they weren't in the correct place as he'd been squinting while doing it - his skin there was always red for a while. Along with that, he'd found that if he made even a hint of an expression, the accessories would fall off - in some ways, it was a good exercise to make sure he would keep his face still.

Once he was finished, Ice stepped away from the mirror and inspected his reflection, turning to his left side to see his cheek better.

Perfect.

Nodding once, Ice left his bedroom.


	24. Winter

**Summary**: It's wintertime - can you blame him?

Swearing.

Set in their training days.

* * *

**Winter**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Breath freezing in front of him, Grisia looked around for a target; he had a decent pile of snowballs sitting next to him so now he needed something to hit. The tree had been good practice and Grisia was _sure_ he'd be better with a human.

For a little while the only sounds in the air were birdsong and bits of snow falling in clumps from the branches.

Grisia turned his head towards the sound of crunching footsteps and dived behind a bush. The person wasn't walking quickly, giving him enough time to prepare. As soon as he had a snowball in each hand, the person came into view and Grisia threw both at the same time.

The first one smacked the person right in the head, the second falling short.

_Yes!_ Grinning, Grisia snatched up a third snowball and drew back his arm. It was then he saw who he'd hit: Ecilan.

... Oh, _shit_.

* * *

Ecilan is mini-Ice. :3


	25. Realise

**Summary**: For freedom!

* * *

**Realise**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

There was a knock at Storm's door and he jerked his head up from his papers, feeling dizzy when he did that too sharply. He had possibly been doing this for longer than he should have been, but when was the last time he'd spent a reasonable time on work?

After testing to see if he could still control his legs -he could- Storm stood up tentatively, bracing his arms on his desk and just letting his blood flow freely again. He made his way over to the door, opened it and then blinked at the two people standing there.

One was dressed in the blues of his own knights and he saluted at Storm. "Sir!"

The other wore less elaborate clothing, the fabric scruffier and threadbare. The man had the face of someone who had forewent a number of meals recently, his cheekbones pronounced under stretched skin, light brown hair limp behind his ears, though his arms also showed the wiry strength he held. It was his eyes that caught Stormn's attention, staring right at him, unafraid and direct.

Storm saluted back to the knight. Even as the knight was opening his mouth, the other person stepped forward and bowed.

"Storm Knight," he said, his voice smooth and clear. It was with a start that Storm realised that the man was only a few years older than him, not decades that he'd previously assumed. "I'm Tesong and my village needs your help."

His help...? What with? Storm pulled the door open further so he wasn't peeking through the crack.

"There's a group of bandits that have been terrorising us, burning our crops only one of the acts they do if we don't give them what they want. Right now," Tesong said, making a face, "their leader has taken the place of the mayor and there isn't a lot people can do about it."

Storm could see where this was going and dread grew in his stomach. He'd never been part of a revolution or anything of the sort before. His teacher had said that he'd know what to do when it happened, but he wasn't so sure. Even though, he was _supposed_ to go to wherever he heard of oppression and this definitely fitted.

"Of course I'll help you," he promised, nodding. "One second," he said as he turned around. Picking up a blank piece of paper, Storm scribbled a note. It would be discovered soon enough; there was always someone checking up on his progress - it wouldn't surprise him if it was read five minutes after his departure.

* * *  
Sitting around the table with the other villagers, a map of all the buildings in front of them, Storm found that his teacher was right. With all the practice he'd had in meetings with the other Knights, dealing with two opposing views that couldn't help but be mentioned within every sentence, it was a novelty to have everyone with the same goal in mind.

Even the amount of paperwork he'd done helped; he could make fairly good guesses about how things could turn out based on people's decisions and what he knew of the other force as he'd seen what had happened on paper so many times already.

Standing up and seeing everyone hush and turn their attention to him, Storm smiled. Time to take back the village.


	26. Lies

**Summary**: Roland sneaks out.

Set in their training time.

I'm a little confused by how the currancy works. Either that or I was just trying to use WoW's system where 100 coppers = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold. Which then... yeah. Carrying one-hundred silver pieces? =/ You have a seriously bulky pouch. So I'm going for thirty pieces to 'level up'.

* * *

**Lies**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Landing lightly on his feet, Roland glanced around, making sure no-one had seen him. There were a couple of people in the area, but none were looking at him. Good. Straightening out of his crouch, Roland brushed his knees and elbows free of dust and began to walk the familiar route to the baker's.

* * *  
Kisdale smiled as he leaned on the counter, his sleeves rolled back and his skin covered in flour. "Same as always?"

Roland nodded under his cloak, making sure no-one was looking at him. The bakery was empty though, and there weren't that many people walking past the window.

"Your friend really does go through these quickly - how are his teeth?" Kisdale asked as he turned and ducked behind a door.

"Still white," came his usual response, because it was _true_. Grisia never suffered from toothache - Roland suspected that even if Grisia had three meals that consisted of sugar he would still be unaffected.

Kisdale came back through with a large grey box in his hands. "Some guy," he said, chuckling. "Twenty silver ducats."

Handing over the money, Roland took the box and left.

* * *  
This was always the trickier part: sneaking back in with the cake. Getting out was easy when you could get over the wall, but the cake wouldn't survive the drop from any height and even before that, Roland wouldn't be able to have a proper hold on the box while climbing the wall either. He'd found this out the first few times he'd tried.

"And where have _you_ been?" a voice boomed behind Roland once he had made it inside, and he nearly dropped the box. Damn, it was Captain Vikeo of the regular platoon. Roland briefly wondered if he should hide the cake but it would be too obvious if he began ran around a corner and then came back again so he turned around, the box on full display.

"Nowhere," Roland answered, only remembering that he should actually look at the Captain when talking to him after he'd said that.

Captain Vikeo's eyes flicked down and then back up again, his arms crossing. "So you haven't been outside the walls?" His bristly mustache moved as he spoke.

Tensing at the question, Roland shook his head.

"Where did you get the box from, then?"

Uh... Where was a good place that you could pick up boxes here? "In the dungeon...?" There was a lot of boxes in there, right?

Sighing, Captain Vikeo said, "Right." He motioned at Roland to carry on with what he was doing, turning around and shaking his head.

Phew, Roland thought, seeing Captain Vikeo walk away, he didn't think he'd believe him!


	27. Dark

**Summary**: Judgement and darkness.

* * *

**Dark**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Judgement Knights had to develop good night vision; the area that they most frequented was also the darkest. In some weeks it was the cleanest corridors in the whole church, individuals scared of being punished for not doing their job; in others, it was the most treacherous, different individuals thinking that the dark would be able to hide and shield them. Judgement didn't even have to ask Storm for his help when that happened - he just had to talk to the supervisors to enquire who had been working during those times. After he had a small chat with the individuals involved (or let himself be seen watching them) the problem stopped.

It was still annoying not having that much light to see, and not specifically for him either; there had been a large number of times where couriers had become lost, endlessly wandering the corridors, too afraid to ask for help or admit who it was they were trying to find.

The deep shadows also made it harder for people to see Judgement coming long - they'd be stifling a scream (some weren't able to do so in time) when they saw him 'looming out the darkness' behind them.

Still. In contrast, it at least gave him good warning for when Sun was approaching him to drag him into another scheme of his.


	28. Steal

**Summary**: Sun needs to get into the kitchens.

* * *

**Steal**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

It had been a while since Sun had brewed some wine, he realised when he was staggering off to bed after a busy day. It had also been a while since he'd had more than three glasses in one sitting. Time to rectify that.

But... he'd need to get the ingredients first.

He'd do that in the morning, after he'd had a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

* * *  
Right. Sun was finally down near the kitchens after being made to praise the God of Light on three separate occasions (the source of food, someone wanting to follow their dreams, and the state of someone's little toe) so now he just had to hope that there was no-one there.

Unfortunately, there were numerous people scuttling about, carrying plates, bushels filled with fruit, if the orange that dropped form one was any indication, and firewood.

Hmm. How was he going to do this? He couldn't exactly put on a cloak and wander in.

Sun hunkered down beside an empty box. He'd just have to wait.

* * *  
Dammit, they were taking so long! The number of people going through the doorway had decreased, but it was still a little busier than Sun would have liked. It didn't help that he could smell food wafting out, growing stronger the longer he was there.

His legs felt like they were stuck in position though, and he wasn't sure what would happen if he actually tried to move.

Of course, that _would_ be when everything quietened down.

Grumbling, Sun shook his legs and, using the wall for support, went into the kitchen. The smell of cooking meat and the heat of the fire hit him almost like a physical force, making his mouth water. He was _hungry_.

Get the apples first. Though, the smell of the chicken was pretty tempting...

* * *  
After sampling every single bit of food available, Sun started back on trying to find the apples that hadn't already been cooked.

It wasn't hard to do once he began doing it seriously. They were _right there_ on a counter, secure in a basket, a yellow bow with frills tied around it. The bow made Sun feel a little uneasy and then he snapped his head up to the sound of pots clanking together.

It was one of the kitchen maids, her hair tied back originally but now some strands had worked their way free and she blew at them, wrinkling her nose as they brushed her cheek straight away. As soon as she saw him, her face lit up and she grinned at the basket in his hands. She jerked her head towards the doorway and after setting the pots down, she left again.

So it _was_ for him then. He did all that waiting for nothing? Sticking the basket under one arm, Sun consoled himself with the fact that he got lunch before everyone else.


	29. Scale

**Summary**: Sun has to climb a cliff.

Swearing.

I really don't think Sun should be going on these missions... XDD;;

* * *

**Scale**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Huffing, Sun hefted himself up another inch, his knuckles scraping against rock. _Why_ wasn't there a nice, accessible path that anyone could take? Or was that the point? You prove yourself by climbing the cliff and if you reach the top, you're given what you were trying to find. _If_ the bastard was still there and hadn't died of old age already. Maybe he'd died of starvation, Sun grumbled to himself, reaching up again; it wasn't like he'd be able to buy food from a shop and trying to grow anything at this altitude would be pretty damn hard.

Glancing around him, Sun saw a platform of rock that looked like it would be able to support his weight. He carefully edged his way towards it, his feet slipping a few times and a hand yanking a rock free from the cliff once. Eventually, after slowing his progress to a snail's, testing and retesting and retesting again to make sure the rock would stay in place, Sun made it to the relatively flat part and scuttled across it. It was just enough to sit on and that was it, but it at least meant he was no longer continually bracing his legs.

Another plus was it was a rather nice view to look at, if you ignored the drop that would kill you from fright alone before you hit the ground.

Sun could hear the faint hissing of the trees moving below him, but what was loudest to his ears was the wind. It kept attempting to tug his hair away from where he'd stuffed it down the back of his collar; trying to find a good spot to hold on to was hard enough when your hair wasn't blocking your view or stabbing you in the eyes.

He rested there for a little while (if you could call it that when you were pressing your back up against the cliff face and were keeping a firm grip on what you were sitting on), catching a bit of his breath and feeling himself cool down.

When Sun was nearly blown off his perch by a particularly strong gust of wind, he decided that he should probably get moving again.

Right. Sun looked left and right. How was he supposed to manoeuvre himself back into a climbing position without slipping off and plummeting to his death?

* * *  
Groaning, Sun pulled himself up over the edge, his fingers digging into soft, dry soil. He lay there for a few seconds, feeling the cool ground under him, his limbs trembling from exertion, sweat trickling slowly down his skin. Once he felt able to move without collapsing again, Sun sat up.

And saw a dark, empty shack.

What? Getting to his feet, Sun tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The house (if you could call it that) had a wall that had caved in, and grass and flowers had marched their way in, leaving spots of green and yellow amongst the grey. The roof also had numerous holes in it, and as Sun watched, a pair of birds flew out of the thatching. The door was leaning like it was in a stupor against the door frame, the wood warped.

There was also a piece of paper flapping in the wind, speared on a bit of the wood that had broken off to a point. Sun was surprised that the paper hadn't been destroyed in the recent rain but he made his way over to it. Holding it down, leaving a dirty handprint on it, Sun started reading.

_'Hi. Living here got a little too difficult. Moved to the bottom of the cliff. See you there._'

Jaw hanging open, Sun searched around the house and then inside it. Apart from a nest of newly-born chicks, he found nothing. No signs of recent living, no signs of a human, and no signs of a way down.

How was he supposed to _get off this rock_?

* * *

All caught up with my buffer now, so I'll be updating at random times now. :)


	30. Illness

**Summary**: Sun's ill, which means _someone_ has to do his paperwork.

Aaand yet another plotbunny Lucathia Rykatu poked into existence. XDD;

* * *

**************Illness**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

"Ah! Storm!"

Turning, Storm saw Leaf jogging towards him, a large pile of papers under his arm. Storm's heart sank, a sense of foreboding settling in his stomach. Leaf didn't normally approach him with paperwork (he did his own; even if he had the chance to foist it onto Storm, Leaf never did) but on the times that he _did_…

"Sun is unfortunately ill at the moment," Leaf said apologetically, straightening the papers. "Would you be able to…?"

Smiling wanly, Storm nodded. He didn't really _mind_ doing extra paperwork, really. It kept him inside and away from any women he'd have to flirt with, as well as ensuring the smooth running of everything in the Holy Church. Even so, he wasn't quite sure when he had last had a proper break. Or sleep. … When _had _he last eaten?

"Thank you," Leaf said as he passed the papers.

Storm hummed in response while he flicked through them. He waved goodbye to Leaf, his focus on the information as he tried to put it into some sort of order.

A few minutes later, Storm entered his room and headed straight for his desk. He _could_ try to rest, but Sun's paperwork always took longer than anyone else's. It wasn't that he had to emulate Sun's speech on the paper (though, if he did, maybe he would have been able to understand Sun _years_ ago!), but it was Sun's _script _that was the problem. There were loops and swirls that caused the characters to look like others, making it illegible, even if the actual handwriting was neat and tidy.

Sighing, Storm settled down and began to work.

xOx

Storm wasn't sure what time it was (the God of Light had retired for the night, and it had been midday when he started working), but at least he'd _finally_completed Sun's paperwork. He pushed himself away from his desk and staggered to his bed.

Without bothering to change his clothes or go under the covers, Storm feel straight to sleep.

xOx

The God of Light's touch eventually woke Storm up the next…afternoon, by His position in the sky. Or it was more probably because of His light falling onto his eyes, since Storm wasn't feeling all that warm; he had goosebumps running up his arm and he could feel a light shiver thrumming in his body.

Just as Storm was slowly getting off his bed (he was feeling strangely weak), he sneezed. And then sneezed again.

* * *

Pfft. They're all screwed now. XDD


	31. Swordwork

**Summary**: Sun fights with his opponent.

Contains mild swearing.

Set just after they've succeeded their teachers.

Written for a prompt on the dreamwidth community fic_promptly of 'any, any, "prepare to die!"

Haaaa~ I don't think this sounds like Sun. XDD;; And I change narrative halfway through. :x

* * *

**************Swordfight**

By Dark Ice Dragon

* * *

Sun narrowed his eyes at his opponent, his sword held tightly in his hands. His opponent didn't move, and Sun charged at him, a battle roar in his throat.

"Prepare to die!"

He slashed down, but his opponent dodged, sidestepping his swing easily and Sun ducked in preparation of any retaliation, his hair trailing behind him. He huffed, regrouping himself a few steps away. Dammit, this was _annoying_ - he couldn't land a single hit and his opponent just _stood_ there, _mocking _him.

Gritting his teeth, sweat trailing down his skin, the God of Light high above his head, Sun continued fighting.

_Finally_, after numerous attempts, Sun was able to knock his opponent over and trip over – ahem, stab him.

A grin spread across his face, Sun turned around to see where Judgement had been standing in the shadows the whole time, watching the fight.

"The God of Light has surely given me strength today!" Sun said brightly, beaming at him.

_Ha, look! I beat him!_

Judgement sent him a dry look. "Have you not just shown the the harshness of the God of Light is needed when fighting?" He turned away, his eyes closed. "The benevolence of the God of Light is not needed for such matters, even when sparring."

_You were out of character and I can't believe you just took _four hours_ to hit a stationary practice dummy!_

Oh, oops. And hey! Swordwork is _hard_, you know?


End file.
